Indonesia - Sela

Sela was given to the Kandang Gajah Camp by President Suharto 14 years ago. The camp is located on the grounds of the magnificent Borobudur temple, which is the largest Buddhist temple in the world. Being an older elephant that has never painted before, Sela took some time to find her inspiration, but once she did, she started creating the most strikingly powerful broad brushstrokes upon the paper.

Sela finds it most comfortable holding the brush with the tip of her trunk rather than wrapping her trunk around the brush. Local artist, Roberto Sutopo, his brother, and Jean Sri Dar, who live in Borobudur very near the temple, are working together with the camp mahouts, acting as artistic advisors to the art-making process. We are very eager to see how Sela's style evolves with the guidance of local artists.